I think that some hymns shouldn't be changed, though, like Down Ampney.

I couldn't agree more and, in fact, have mentioned somewhere in this forum that Down Ampney was so well harmonized by Vaughan Williams, that when I composed my double descants for Down Ampney I used only the original harmonization (whereas, more often than not, I tend to reharmonize a hymn tune for descants that I compose).

The attached MP3 file is a recording of "Come down, O Love divine" as sung at the 2011 Sacred Music Colloquium with my double descants (minor note, the second descant was slightly rewritten shortly before the Colloquium and hence differs slightly in the recording from the final version).

Seemple but not so seemple.1. Final verses are traditionally the ones where descants are unveiled.2. Ergo, re-harmonize a preceding verse. 3. Perhaps new purveyors could sell their alternatives (including interludes?) as Finale/Sibelius files, thus streamlining the transposition issues.

I have concluded that older is better when it comes to hymnals. There are some whacked out harmonies in some of the newer hymnals. I can get really exasperated when GIA has published one of the Proulx harmonizations that don't really sound so good to my ears. I wouldn't mind so much if they printed the traditional harmonization on another page. I go find the hymns in the 1940 or another hymnal and play from those and tell the choir to sing unison. The descant books seem to fit that hymnal much better.

It should be noted, for those who are new around here, that, so long as your melody line is clearly-enough presented, re-harmonization can be a real asset to a musical presentation. (Some harmonizations are so bland that they must be rescued!)

I can get really exasperated when GIA has published one of the Proulx harmonizations that don't really sound so good to my ears. I wouldn't mind so much if they printed the traditional harmonization on another page.

Charles, your wish has been granted! In the accompaniment edition for Worship IV, we often included both traditional and alternate harmonizations (as well as alternate keys) for hymn tunes that appear more than once in the hymnal.

As much as I admired Richard Proulx, his harmonization of the tune ST. FLAVIAN was not a favorite of mine, especially his use of the flatted seventh chord in the penultimate measure (even though Proulx's harmonization was based on the original faux-bourdon setting.) Since ST. FLAVIAN appears twice in Worship IV, the tune is printed at #461 ("Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days") with Proulx's harmonization, and at #463 ("From Ashes to the Living Font") with the more standard harmonization.

I like varying the harmonizations. Without a choir present, I tend to be more conservative; with a choir, I can be a bit more adventurous. Harmonizations that simply reharmonize the tune are more successful; most Catholic congregations are just not confident enough to sing with harmonizations that obscure the melody more (I love Gerre Hancock, but some of his do that). It is not necessary to have a strictly Catholic collection - some Catholic publisher accompaniments tend to be on the low side, and could bear transposing up anyway.

Doneill's observation is very good. I would qualify it, though. Some Catholic congregations can sing really well, and, for them, there is no reason to hold back on imaginative hymn leadership from the organ. This can and does have the effect of making their singing even more confident and enjoyable as they take up the challenge and comprehend the interplay. This, of course, is not for many congregations, but there are those to whom it would be a boon. We hear so much about Catholics who won't (note I didn't say 'can't') sing that we are sometimes not aware that there are many who do, and do it quite well, thank you. At St Basil's Chapel here at Houston's UST I can and do do just about anything and the people sing all the better for it. When people realise that they are part of something really interesting that adds to their experience and makes the mass more glorious, they will respond. So, if some of you have congregations that sing well, make them sing even better with imaginative organ playing on ordinaries and hymns. They will like it and respond in kind. If your congregation don't sing well, then of course you need to take a more conservative course. The same goes for descants. People who really sing are not put off by them, but egged on in doing their part. Descants are thrilling. (A final thought: some people who fain to be confused irrationally choose to be confused and negative, are spoil sports, and just aren't going to cooperate - and some of them wear Roman collars.)

I think that part of this is also adding notes on top of the melody in an organ reharm. It can be less confusing for the congregation if it is just changing the chords, or something like that. I find this is the case for our almost non singing congregation.